Last year John Quinn
reviewed
a live performance of Bruckner’s 8th
symphony conducted by Karajan in Vienna.
It was recorded just three weeks before
he made the present studio version (see
link to review below). I refer the reader
to that review for a detailed comparison
of the timings. However the bottom line
is that he was slower in every movement
here and took 87 minutes in total -
nearly seven minutes longer. Karajan’s
subsequent studio recordings, made in
1975 and 1988 both clocked in between
82-83 minutes and so it is probably
this performance that is the outlier.

Whilst such differences
in timing may seem large, this symphony
can easily soak up (or lose) a few minutes
without seeming excessively slow (or
quick). More striking for me, in comparing
this with the recording made over thirty
years later, is a difference in feeling
that I suspect has more to do with phrasing
than tempi. This is a less heavily manicured
account – more objective, almost ‘Klempereroid’.
Both are great recordings and I would
find it hard to draw a clear preference
between them. If pushed, perhaps Karajan’s
slow movement gets closer to the heart
in 1988 but his 1957 finale is more
conclusive. Incidentally, I would clearly
prefer this version to the live 1957
recording – it seems that Karajan didn’t
need an audience to get the best out
of his players.

Most of Karajan’s 1950s
work for EMI was undertaken with the
Philharmonia Orchestra. This was one
of the first recordings he made with
the Berlin Philharmonic after becoming
its conductor for life in 1954. The
recorded sound was produced by Walter
Legge and is amazing for the period,
particularly for its depth of perspective.
There is a most interesting essay in
the booklet by Richard Osborne (an expert
on both Bruckner and Karajan) reminding
us that, when this record was issued,
the mono was put out first and the stereo
made available to special order three
years later. The present issue is at
mid-price and the 2 CDs are housed in
a single-sized jewel case.

I presume no-one will
be buying this package for the overtures
which he recorded three years later.
Nevertheless they are interesting bonuses
and the Nicolai is Karajan’s only recording
of the work. The others compete with
later accounts made for DG. In comparing
the versions of the Der Freischütz
overture I felt the situation was
similar to the symphony – Karajan added
to his interpretation as time went by
but the original was in some ways fresher.

Karajan was one of
the greatest interpreters of Bruckner’s
8th symphony and he particularly
revered the work. This version has been
a mainstay of the catalogue for nearly
half a century and it is good to welcome
it back.

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